DOLCE ACQUA

Words like 'engaging', 'powerful', 'energetic', 'intense' and similar adjectives depicting the blood, sweat and tears that an artist put into his work are regular features in my reviews. Delirium's debut provides a perfect example of what I try to say using those words, as they are not meant to indicate raging fury or an onslaught of blast beats or reckless riffing. Nope, they rather stand for the emotive power of the music and the ability of a work of art to tickle the senses. It's something that this album achieves like no other.

It reminds me so much of another early prog album that I love to bits, Jethro Tull's Stand Up. Both albums consist of short songs with traditional rock structure, with a mix of blues, light-jazz and lots of folksy flutes and sweeping melodies. There almost no point where they rock out, instead gentle and delicate acoustic guitars, flowery ballads and sweet melancholy prevail.

This album won't score as high on your proggometers as the UK albums from 1971, but this is an album from a brand-new prog-scene that would mature at an incredible pace and more then make up for its slow start. So instead of a full-fledged prog album, this is more like an album belonging to '69, to an era of impassioned songwriters, bittersweet violins and a naive yet irresistible optimism. Every track is a pearl of song writing craft, lyrical melodies and deeply touching melancholy.

Vocalist Ivano Fossati is the magician, the secret ingredient that charms the notes and chords into living organisms. Some tunes like Johnnie Sayre and Jesahel reveal that this man had more poppy ambitions but everything remains very tasteful and soulful.

In my book Dolce Aqua is a most satisfying early Italian album, it's simple but so effective and so deeply moving. 4.5 stars

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